The Fallen Are The Virtuous Among Us
by angelofire
Summary: The man smiled and licked the side of his mouth again. “You could be very useful to me.” He handed her a card.The card had a picture of a joker on it and written on the back in messy handwriting was; “I’ll find you…” Joker/OC


The city of Hong Kong was silent from the rooftops. The city appeared to never sleep; even in the late hours of the night the city was bathed in bright lights from the surrounding buildings. A figure stood on top of one of the tallest buildings in Hong Kong watching the people on the streets go from one place to another. By the person's obvious form it was clear that the figure was a woman dressed in all black making it easy to blend in with the shadows. She wore a shirt that was off the shoulders with the sleeves stopping at her elbows, gloves, leggings with black leather boots over the leggings stopping just below the knee. The woman's face was shadowed by a hood and she was heavily armed. She carried six throwing knives strapped around her right thigh, a small semi-automatic pistol was tucked into her left boot while a Japanese Sai was tucked into her right boot, and a short blade was attached to a black belt around her waist. The woman carried two more items on her belt a folding grapple and binoculars.

_This is your final test, find the man known as Chao Li and eliminate him. He is one of the heads of the Yukuza clan who is trying to smuggle goods from Tokyo to Hong Kong. He will be staying in the Hotel Nikko HongKong, but he will be attending a meeting tonight with a member of the Triads at 11 o'clock sharp to discuss the transfer of the goods. If our source is correct they will be meeting in an abandoned warehouse on the edge of Hong Kong. I wish you luck Raven._

That was the mission briefing Jun Xiang had given Raven before she left to eliminate her target. Jun Xiang was a friend of her family's and took her in when the tragic accident happened. He offered to train Raven to become an assassin so she could find her family's killer. The tragic event happened when Raven was about 10 years old; of course her real name isn't Raven that's just a name to hide her identity when she's on a mission. Raven's real name is Valerie Hamilton daughter of Richard and Isabella Hamilton and older sister of Amie Hamilton. Valerie witnessed the murder of her parents and younger sister by a member of the mob and having no other relatives to turn to Valerie ran away to China where she found her father's friend, Jun Xiang.

Raven spotted someone leaving the Hotel Nikko HongKong and grabbed the binoculars for a better look. Her target Chao Li was leaving the hotel accompanied by two bodyguards. Raven watched as they got into a black SUV and drove toward the western edge of Hong Kong. She inhaled a deep breath before jumping from the roof of the building. Raven enjoyed the free fall before she used the grapple to swing to an adjacent building.

Raven reached the warehouse moments before Chao Li and his men did. She ducked behind some wooden crates as Chao Li entered the warehouse leaving one of his bodyguards to guard the door. Raven quickly scanned the area trying to find a way into the warehouse that didn't involve killing the guard posted outside the front door. Killing him would make everything a bit more complicated. Raven spotted windows on the side of the warehouse and one of them just happened to be open. She quickly went around to the open window while sticking to the shadows. Raven quickly pulled herself up through the open window and landed toward the back of the warehouse.

"You want the Triads to agree to buy your products so you can sell them here in Hong Kong. What's wrong with selling them in Japan?" A voice stated.

"We are already selling our products to almost every part of Japan already. The Yakuza want to sell to other parts of the globe starting with Hong Kong." Chao Li replied.

Raven quietly moved closer to the voices while staying hidden in the shadows. Chao Li and his second bodyguard stood in the middle of the warehouse along with a member of the Triads.

"I will have to confirm this with my superior before a deal can be made." The man stated.

Chao Li nodded. "Of course, I look forward to doing business with you." The man turned and headed toward to warehouse exit. When he was out of earshot Chao Li said, "Kill him and dump the body in the nearby bay." The bodyguard than followed the man out of the warehouse leaving Chao Li alone with Raven.

When Raven was sure the bodyguard had left the warehouse she made her presence known to Chao Li. "Trying to strike a deal with Hong Kong's crime lords and then when the deal doesn't go your way you kill the messenger. I thought the Yakuza had more class than that." Raven's voice echoed off the warehouse walls making it difficult to pin point her exact location.

Chao Li looked around nervously while pulling out a gun from his jacket. "You dare insult the Yakuza. Do you even realize what you're saying?"

Raven chuckled. "Of course I know what I'm saying, but do you know what you're up against?"

Chao Li remained silent trying to find the woman who was being concealed by the darkness. Raven came up behind Chao Li and pressed her Sai to his throat. "I'll take that as a no." She whispered.

"W-what do you want?" Chao Li asked; his fear was evident in the tone of his voice.

"Your life…" She muttered before making a deep, slit across Chao Li's throat with her Sai. Chao Li collapsed onto the concrete ground gasping for air as blood poured out of the horizontal wound on his throat. Without a second thought Raven climbed out of the open window and headed toward Jun Xiang's house.

Jun Xiang was standing on his back porch staring up at the night sky. Jun Xiang taught Raven everything he knew about being an assassin since he was also one of the top assassin's in the world. Jun Xiang was a man of about fifty years old. When Raven arrived in Hong Kong at the age of ten she found his home, the address just happen to be written on the back of a picture of Jun Xiang and her father. Jun Xiang took Raven in and raised her like his own daughter.

"Twelve years ago you arrived on my doorstep claiming people had come and murdered your family. I took you in and began to notice that you had a craving for revenge against those who you deemed as your enemies, so I trained you to become an assassin. Now you are one of the greatest assassins alive, but you have one thing left to learn." Jun Xiang explained.

He turned around to face Raven and removed her hood. Raven was a beautiful young girl of about 22 years of age. She had wavy, dark brown hair that went down to about her shoulders, blue eyes and a fair complexion.

Jun Xiang sighed before he spoke. "Valerie, the final lesson you must learn is the most difficult one. You have separated your mind into two parts; Raven, your assassin persona and your secret identity, and Valerie which is the person you are everyday. Your past is what created the persona of Raven. You must come to terms with your past if you wish to become whole once more."

Valerie frowned. "I don't understand…"

Jun Xiang smiled tenderly. "You will understand in time, my dear. Now you have a lot of packing to do for you are headed for Gotham City tomorrow morning."

Valerie stared at Jun Xiang in surprise. Finally after twelve years she was going to return to her home town. "I'm going to Gotham City tomorrow." She stated in disbelief.

Jun Xiang smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Yes, haven't you always wanted to return home?"

Valerie nodded eagerly. "Of course more than anything, but I thought you wouldn't see me as worthy enough to return back to Gotham City."

"I think you are ready to return home and face your demons." Jun Xiang said as he entered the house.

Valerie had packed all her things by the next morning and Jun Xiang helped her load her luggage into a waiting taxi. Before Valerie got into the taxi that would bring her to the airport Jun Xiang embraced her tightly. "Contact me when you get settled in Gotham."

Valerie smiled and nodded. "Of course…"

The plane flight to Gotham was long and tiring. Valerie's mind kept wandering through her past bringing up the painful memories she had tried so hard to forget.

_Valerie and her younger sister Amie were playing in the living room. Amie was five years younger than Valerie and had golden, blonde hair that reached her collarbone and green eyes. Amie looked identical to her mother Isabella. The two girls were playing with dolls when their mother entered the room looking pale and frightful._

_"Amie, Valerie come with me…quickly girls." Isabella took both girls by their hands and dragged them to the kitchen just as shouting could be heard in the foyer. Their mother opened a broom closet in the kitchen and pushed both girls inside. "Now don't make a sound and don't come out until it's safe." Isabella left the closet door open only a small crack, which was enough for both girls to see through._

_The shouting got louder until Valerie could see her father, Richard; enter the kitchen closely followed by two other men. Richard had dark brown hair that was graying in some areas and he had bright blue eyes._

_"Why are you here?" Richard asked sounding annoyed._

_"The boss said you failed to take out the target." One of the men stated._

_"What are you talking about I did take out the target!" Richard exclaimed._

_"You took out a target, but it was the __**wrong**__ one." The other man stated._

_"The boss said there's no room for error when you're in the mob." Both men pulled out a gun from their jackets._

_"Hold on a second. He sent you here to kill me because I missed a target?" Richard questioned._

_One man shook his head. "The boss just didn't send us here to kill you. He ordered us to kill your family to that way nothing can get traced back to him."_

_Richard's eyes widened in horror and he turned to look at his wife, who was trembling in fear. "Kill me, but don't hurt my family." He begged._

_"I'm just following orders…" The man said as he aimed his gun at Isabella's head._

_"No, don't!" Richard shouted, but the man had already pulled the trigger. Isabella fell onto the white tiled floor lifeless with a crimson liquid pouring out from her forehead._

_Valerie felt something move beside her and realized Amie was headed toward the opening in the door. Before Valerie could stop her Amie had left the safety of the broom closet and ran over to their mother's side. "Mommy, wake up…" Amie cried as she tried to shake her mother awake._

_Richard stared at the scene in horror unable to move or speak. His wife was lying on the floor with a bullet in her head and his youngest daughter was sitting next to her. Amie was going to be the next target, but Richard couldn't do anything to stop them. It was like his brain had just stopped. Two more gun shots were fired and each one made Valerie flinch. Now there were three bodies on the floor all staining the white floor red._

_"Is that all of them?" One of the guys asked. Valerie quietly crept to the darkest corner of the room and shut her eyes tight hoping the two men wouldn't find her._

_"I guess so, the boss never said how many we had to knock off."_

_"Good than let's get out of here before the cops come." Valerie heard the two men's footsteps grow fainter until they could no longer be heard._

_When Valerie was positive it was safe to come out she slowly crawled out of the broom closet. Tears began to pour out of her eyes as Valerie noticed that her mother and sister weren't breathing._

_"Valerie…" A raspy quiet voice said._

_Valerie froze and turned around to see her father pale faced and bleeding from a wound in his chest. "I want you to find this man…" He said hoarsely while taking a picture out of his pocket. "He is an old friend of mine. His name is…Jun Xiang…tell him what you saw here. He will help you." Her father seemed to be having trouble keeping his eyes open as he handed the photo to Valerie._

_Valerie shook her head. "No, don't leave me…you can't leave me." She said the tears rolled down her face._

_"You will be well taken care of…" He stated quietly as he closed his eyes and exhaled his last breath._

_"No!" She shouted as she tried to shake her father awake once more, but her efforts were futile. Her father was gone and there was no bringing him back. Valerie looked down at the picture she held in her blood stained hands. On the back was an address; 293 Shantung Street, Hong Kong, China._

Valerie awoke to the voice of the captain of the plane. "We will be landing momentarily and I would advise all passengers to be seated at this time."

Valerie felt something slowly make its way down her cheek. She lifted a shaky hand to feel what the object was and noticed she was crying. She quickly brushed away any tears that were in her eyes as she turned her attention to the window. It had been a long time since she had had that dream. The last time Valerie had dreamt about her family's death would have to be when she first arrived in Hong Kong to stay with Jun Xiang. Valerie assumed this is was Jun Xiang meant when he told her she would have to face her demons.

As she got off the plane Valerie looked around the airport for any sign of a ride. _Great Jun Xiang sends me back home to Gotham without making the proper accommodations. _As Valerie was preoccupied with her thoughts a nervous looking man came and stood next to her. Valerie watched him from the corner of her eye.

"Jun Xiang sent me here…" The man stuttered.

Valerie turned her head to get a better look at the man. The man had dirty blonde hair, hazel colored eyes and a lean figure. "Did he say why he sent you here?" She questioned.

"I am your transportation from the airport to where you will be staying." The man replied.

Valerie looked at the man closely determining whether he was lying. Finally she said, "Lead the way…"

Valerie followed the man outside the airport and to a black car with heavily tinted windows. The man tossed her luggage in the trunk of the car while another man, who had been waiting in the driver's seat, opened the back door so Valerie could get in.

"My name is Stefano Ruzari, I was contacted by Jun Xiang a few weeks ago and told to make arrangements for your arrival." Stefano stated as he got into the backseat with Valerie after putting her luggage in the trunk.

Valerie nodded. "Did Jun Xiang tell you why I was here?" She questioned curiously.

Stefano shook his head. "He only told me that you wanted in with the mob, but I have worked with Jun Xiang before and I know the type of people he works with."

Valerie raised an eyebrow at the man as she felt the car begin to move away from the airport. She was a bit surprised by the man's sudden boost of confidence. "I know Jun Xiang was an assassin so of course it would make sense that you would be one." Stefano replied quietly so the driver wouldn't hear.

"Assumptions get you nowhere Mr. Ruzari. Now, tell me the plan and who I will be working for." Valerie replied emotionless.

The man chuckled nervously. "Of course…" He handed Valerie a manila folder. Valerie opened it and saw a black and white photo of three men. "Those are three of the mob leaders; Gambol, Sal Maroni and the Chechen. You will be working for Maroni, which is that man right there." Stefano stated pointing to one of the men in the picture.

Valerie took a look at what else was in the folder. "There's a fake driver's license, passport, and other information in there. I convinced Maroni to let you into the mob by telling him you were my cousin." Stefano explained.

Valerie nodded and looked at a piece of paper that had her new information on it. Her name would be Valencia Ruzari, born in Gotham City but moved to China when she was three, fluent in English and Chinese. Valerie than took a look at the fake drivers license Stefano had given her. It looked accurate, but would the police fall for it if they caught her.

"Is the drivers license accurate?" Valerie questioned.

Stefano frowned. "I don't understand…"

Valerie frowned. "Would the police notice it's a fake if they looked at it?"

"No, I had a man on the inside make that and he's exceptionally talented in making fake ids." Stefano replied.

Valerie nodded even though she wasn't truly convinced. "Where will I be staying while I'm here in Gotham?"

"Um…I took the liberty of finding you a nice condo in the heart of Gotham close by Maroni's hideout." Stefano replied a bit nervously.

"When do I get to meet Maroni?" Valerie asked curiously.

"Maroni actually wants to meet you tomorrow. Um…if it's alright with you I'll pick you up at your condo around 10." Stefano replied nervously.

Valerie closed the manila folder and said in an emotionless tone, "That's fine…" The rest of the ride to Valerie's condo complex was in silence. When they reached the condo Stefano handed Valerie the key to her condo while he went to grab her luggage out of the trunk. When Stefano left, Valerie immediately called Jun Xiang.

"Hello…" The voice of Jun Xiang asked.

"Jun Xiang, its Valerie…I made it to Gotham City."

"Good, did the man on the inside find you?" Jun Xiang asked curiously.

"Ruzari? Yes, he found me. He was able to get me a place to stay and a place within the mob already." Valerie replied while starting to unpack her things.

"Than he has proven to be useful. When are you meeting this mob boss?" Jun Xiang asked curiously.

"Tomorrow and as soon as I'm positive I'm welcomed inside I'll start poking around. They have to have files on their workers."

"Remember if they didn't want the murder to be traced back to them than it is possible they destroyed any information they may have had on them." Jun Xiang replied.

"If that's the case than the information would have been spread by word of mouth, which means that information could have changed while it was being passed from person to person." Valerie sighed.

"Exactly, that means only the mob boss who ordered the hit would know the exact information." Jun Xiang replied.

Valerie sat down on the edge of the bed. "I would need to get close to the mob boss I'm working with; make him think he can trust me."

"You must be careful Valerie, if this mob boss finds out who you really are than this was all a waste of time. It would be better if you go after this man's enemies first." Jun Xiang advised.

"Right, that would be the easier way…" She muttered.

Jun Xiang chuckled. "Contact me once you get some information."

"I will…" Valerie said before she hung up.

The next morning Valerie got dressed in a white long sleeve button down shirt with a black blazer over it, a tight black pencil skirt and a pair of black pumps. Stefano arrived at her condo a little after 10 ready to take her to see Maroni. Stefano brought Valerie to a small café and the minute they entered they were ushered to a reserved room in the back of the café.

"Ah Stefano, I was beginning to wonder if you were going to show." A man said standing to greet Stefano.

"Of course Mr. Maroni, I just had to pick up my cousin." Stefano replied.

Maroni looked Valerie up and down with interest and Valerie had to repress a scowl. "So this is Valencia."

Stefano nodded. "Yes sir, this is my cousin."

Maroni nodded. "Have a seat…" He stated while motioning to two chairs that were in front of him. When they sat down Maroni began to speak again. "Stefano tells me you wish to join the mob, why?"

"Well I believe it's an easy way to earn money." Valerie stated simply. She noticed Stefano began fidgeting with the hem of his jacket.

"Yes it's an easy way to earn money, but also risky. How do I know I can trust you?" He asked curiously.

Valerie smiled sweetly. "I have worked with the mob before, the Triad to be exact. I was one of their most loyal members and I have no record with the cops either." Stefano looked at her in surprise. Valerie knew Maroni wouldn't look up any past record of hers and find out that she wasn't really involved with the Triad at all. Well, besides killing them that is.

Maroni seemed impressed. "All right I'll give you one chance to prove yourself. There's this group of punks that keep robbing our banks. We tracked one of their guys back to a warehouse on the outskirts of the city. I want you to go there and get rid of them for us." He explained.

Valerie raised her eyebrows. There was more to this little mission than he was letting on. "All right consider it done."

"Have you lost your mind?" Stefano questioned when they had left the café.

"No, I don't believe I have." Valerie replied.

"You do realize there's more to this mission than he's telling you, right?"

Valerie nodded. "Of course I do."

"And you're still going to go through with it?" Valerie nodded and Stefano let out a deep sigh. "All right well I'll tell you what I have heard lately. All these guys wear clown masks as disguises and no one has ever seen the guy that is in charge. Maroni has sent people to take out this group before but none of the guys have ever come back. It's basically a suicide mission!"

Valerie smirked devilishly. "Oh good, I was beginning to get bored."


End file.
